Russia can make up for any Chinese oil shortages resulting from the Iran war, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said during a visit to Beijing on Wednesday, according to the state Russian news agency TASS.
Lavrov made the remarks after a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
"Russia can of course make up for the lack of resources that has arisen in China and other countries that want to work with us in an equal and mutually beneficial way," he said.
Lavrov accused the United States of using the war in the Persian Gulf to gain control over Iranian oil.
The oil shortage on the global market and rising prices due to the Iran war is opening up opportunities for additional revenue for Russia, a major oil exporter.
China and India are the most important importers of Russian oil.
To curb price rises on the global market, US President Donald Trump suspended sanctions on Russian oil sales for a month. Since the weekend, however, the restrictions have been back in force.
The sanctions are intended to limit the revenue that Russia receives from fossil fuel sales, and target Moscow's ability to fund its military and pay for the war in Ukraine.
